Humour and irony: discover or develop competences, qualities, traits and signals

Prankvertising is a relatively new and little investigated form of marketing that uses humor. This study aims to provide a theoretical framework based on morality that helps to identify when this kind of marketing leads to positive brand attitudes. Prankvertising is defined as the use of videos in which customers are being pranked, that spread on social media in order to convey the brand’s image or positioning. In order to determine which aspects lead to positive attitudes, first the benign violation theory will be explained. Then, the researchers discuss how people perceive different cues for morality judgements from prank videos. Finally, the theory is tested in a pilot study. 

What is the Benign Violation Theory?

The Benign Violation Theory suggests that laughter and amusement arise when there are violations that are seen as both threatening and benign. These violations originate from expected norms and provoke humor when three conditions